Gaga went in the East Village in New York to get a tattoo of an unicorn with the words "Born This Way" wrapped around the horn. The tattoo on Gaga's upper left thigh was done by Rebecca "Bad News Becca" Roach. After the session, Gaga took a photograph with fan Maya (@MayaBouvs). Following getting her tattoo, Gaga hid the unicorn until she announced the title of the album on September 12.

During the show, Gaga hided her tattoo. After the show, Gaga shown her new tattoo to her mother, Cynthia Germanotta who was backstage in her room. Photographs from the venue were included in the Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson book.

Lady Gaga joined the cast of the VMA lineup in 2010, with an entourage consisting of former soldiers discharged from service, due to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", a policy of the United States' military. The guests included Katie Miller, David Hall, Stacy Vasquez, and Mike Almy. While on the white carpet, she won the awards for "Best Dance Video", and "Best Collaboration" with "Bad Romance" and "Telephone", respectively.

A rally was held at 4:00 PM Eastern in Deering Oaks Park. Gaga made a speech she named "The Prime Rib of America" regarding the military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Photographer, Terry Richardson accompanied Gaga and took photographs during the event, some of them were included in the book and other were released for use in the media following the event. The rally was the last event covered in September by Terry.